“Blended” is an Adam Sandler movie that isn’t as bad as you feared it would be.

Granted, that sets the bar pretty low. Sandler is capable of making wretched films, such exercises in arrogant laziness and self-absorption as the “Grown Ups” movies, where he just hangs out with his real-life friends. “Blended,” directed by Frank Coraci and written by Ivan Menchell and Clare Sera, isn’t as bad as that.

In fact, at times it threatens to make you forget it’s a Sandler comedy (“comedy” might be more accurate), with some moments of real sweetness followed by, for instance, a shot of rhinos having sex.

“You won’t see that in New Jersey,” a resort employee says by way of punch line, and no, probably not. Didn’t really want to see it in South Africa, either, thanks. Whatever the case, Sandler and his team work tirelessly to provide constant reminders that, despite whatever the film might have going for it, you can’t escape the fact that it’s still a stupid Adam Sandler movie.

Sandler plays Jim, a widower with three daughters he is raising as if they were boys. He goes on a blind date with Lauren (Drew Barrymore), a divorced mother of two boys. The date, which opens the film, is disastrous from the couple’s point of view, but it’s one of the better scenes in the film. (This is the third time Sandler and Barrymore have made a movie together, and the easy comfort they have with one another shows.)

A far-fetched plot development allows Jim and his kids to wind up sharing the same luxury suite at a resort in South Africa as Lauren and her children. Sure. Whatever. They’re sworn enemies, but c’mon, they’re Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. How long till the ice thaws?

While we wait, we see some stunning shots of South Africa that don’t involve mating wildlife, along with set pieces that range from the mildly charming to the insipid; many of the latter involve Nickens (Terry Crews) and his roaming band of singers, who serve as a type of idiot Greek chorus, but instead of helping explain what’s going on, they merely describe what we already know, because we just saw it happen.

Fitting. Trust in the audience is not a hallmark of the filmmakers. If it were, then maybe they could allow at least one semi-serious scene to play out without beating us over the head with a trademark silly Sandler gag. It’s like following a gourmet dinner with a McFlurry (except a McFlurry possesses certain guilty charms).

Sandler is frustrating. In “Punch-Drunk Love” and “Funny People,” he proved he can be an engaging actor. But the bulk of what he makes is cash-grab comedies. And on one level, why not? He’s been so financially successful with these that they’ll probably put his face on some sort of currency designated for spending on projects beneath one’s talents. Yet in “Blended,” when he’s with Barrymore or the actresses playing his daughters, we see glimpses of poignancy.

But they don’t last. It’s as if he and his collaborators are worried the audience might feel something.